Influencers Didn’t Ruin the U.S. Open. They Just Made It More Boring.

Sitting in the 200 level of Arthur Ashe Stadium on Wednesday evening, I relished looking down on a sextet of fans in their matching yellow U.S. Open hats. From above they looked like a set of tennis balls, or some particularly bright melon balls in a Honey Deuce cup.

Those hats, also available in colors like piney green and high-vis orange, were really the only merch for sale this year that felt the least bit raucous. Everything else elicited a yawn. There was a generic flatness to the tees and hoodies, with their arched logos and vaguely collegiate color schemes. Staring at the racks, I could’ve been looking at merch for a Big 10 school or a coastal vacation town.

Much has been said this year about the tennis-oblivious influencers and their distracting Ring lights. I mostly saw regular people who paid a lot of money for a ticket and felt entitled to an Instagram as a souvenir.

Still, homogenous, influencer-y outfits were everywhere: garden party shirt dresses, angular sunglasses and heels ill suited for the hike to the 300 level of Ashe. Blue button-ups over white tees, chinos and black loafers. One need not be an influencer to be dressed by the internet.

It made me yearn for the winsome and weird outfits I saw when I first visited the tournament a decade ago. Lifelong fans wore sun-faded tees from Opens past and caps weighed down by pins from tournaments around the world. Women sported sun hats festooned D.I.Y.-style with tennis balls and streamers. And middle-aged guys dressed like ’80s ball kids, in polo shirts as electric as a Lacroix can.

The tournament is pricing out many fans. It looked to me like it had priced out some of the personality, too.

Malkovich, Malkovich

It’s always amusing when an established celebrity arrives in something a little more attention-grabbing than usual. Think of Celine Dion’s sudden upshift around 2016 (that “Titanic” Vetements hoodie still makes me chuckle) or Jeff Goldblum in his 60s, evolving into Prada’s No. 1 fan. Now it’s John Malkovich at the Venice Film Festival, working with the stylist Jeanne Yang. He wore a Dior tux and a shirt with a collar the size of a dog’s surgical cone. He paired mules constructed from rug scraps with a white Bode dinner jacket, like a psychedelic maître d’. At 72, Malkovich has one of Hollywood’s great faces. These madcap choices suit it well.

Also of note at Venice: Mariana Di Girolamo, the Chilean actress who is making her English-language debut in “Wild Horse Nine” (also starring Malkovich) and working with the stylist Jason Bolden. Di Girolamo wore Chanel to the film’s premiere, a sign that she, and Bolden, are taking the press run seriously. And, the festival’s unofficial “we saw you from across the bar and really dig your vibe” award goes to the coordinated couple Phoebe Waller-Bridge and Martin McDonagh.

Readers respond to our question of who gets the label ‘genius’ in fashion

In Friday’s newsletter, we debated John Galliano’s status as “genius.” We also asked for your thoughts about who is worthy of such a designation. Here are some excerpts from the many well-considered emails we received.

“A genius fashion designer makes those that wear their clothes look good — not distorted in some way for shock value — and feel comfortable in their own skin.” — Rachel R.

“Galliano is a genius — whatever his inspirations or derivations — because he made us consider the act of clothing ourselves, very differently. When I saw his shows I was awed and thrilled, stunned into considering the usual in a totally new context.” — April L.

“A genius fashion designer is one who consistently creates fashions that inspire viewers and prospective customers to think, ‘Oooh, I want to wear that!’ Sure, the ones who turn out circus outfits or Halloween-grade costumes may be geniuses, but not in fashion.” — Larry L.

“I like the thought of fashion genius as changing the way people think of themselves in the world. Chanel certainly did that with her simplified silhouette — almost a uniform that allows you to get on with your life.” — Claudia K.

“Genius in fashion is not simply concept, it is clothing. Fashion is a craft; and craft does not require genius.” — Mary M.

Other things worth knowing about:

Emma Cline’s latest novel, “Switzy,” is out this week. It is Team “The Fashions” book of the year (so far).
Sabato De Sarno, who flamed out as Gucci’s creative director after two years, has a new gig: designer of the Shanghai-based label Icicle. China has become a refuge for former creative directors of European luxury labels. After Dior, Kim Jones became creative director at the Chinese outerwear company Bosideng. After Berluti, Kris Van Assche worked with Chinese companies like Anta. It’s a reflection of where the money is.
Just a very charming beaded bag.
Tom Sachs, the blue-chip art world’s Dr. Frankenstein, built a bricolage Chanel boutique in Lower Manhattan. It’s a pretty accurate replica, down to the phony address (31 Rue Cambon), the Chanel awnings and the pantsuits hanging in the window — only in wood not tweed. It opens Friday.
Supreme has collaborated with A. Presse. the most-hyped (and priciest) of the new vanguard of hush-lux Japanese men’s brands. For a particular male shopper — a guy who can tell you, to the cent, the current conversion of dollar to yen — this is the collab of the century. It’s mostly produced in Japan and America. The prices reflect that: $4,498 for a calfskin leather jacket; $3,498 for a suit; $328 for a cashmere beanie. Expect it to sell out in approximately 13 minutes.

What we’re reading and watching

Did influencers ruin the Birkin bag? It’s a question Amy Odell has also been probing for over a year on Back Row. Our take? Influencers ruin most things.
Agreed.
Always worth considering what makes good criticism — and how it can help people understand how to read poems.
Count the number of blinks in this trailer for “You Can See Everything,” the new documentary about Elizabeth Holmes by Nathan Fielder with Lance Oppenheim. We wouldn’t expect anything less from the man who brought us “The Rehearsal.” We’ll be there opening day.
This is what a pair of paints made of pennies sounds like. Glorious.

Fashion Quote of the Week

“I think I’ve shown my nipple, you know, too much lately.”

— The tennis player Carlos Alcaraz on his maybe too-exposing Nike tank top at the U.S. Open. For his third-round match on Friday, he added a modest undershirt, proving that even seven-time slam winners can be plagued by body insecurities.